Quote:The thing that I miss most about Ketchman - and it's probably the only thing, really - was the 'spit and polish' on his work. Vic rarely submitted anything with a typographical or grammatical error, and you got the feeling that he wasn't going to either. It may not be a big thing to some, but I feel like bad grammar and typo's really put the organization in a bad light when it's displayed for all to see.

I couldn't agree more, Deacon. This is a big part of why I choose not to read John's articles and the O-Zone. I'm not a perfect writer but I'm also not paid a decent salary to write for an NFL team. The way Vic wrote his stories and his articles was easier to read and stay interested in. John O bores me to sleep quickly.

Quote:Ketchman was a crusty guy, but he was a purist.


He did like to reference the steelers a lot, but that was only because he spent the first few decades of his professional career covering that team. It was his primary point of reference. It never bothered me, but it sure rubbed some here the wrong way.


It's good to see he still pays attention to the old employer. He's expressing a sentiment I posted else where on this board. I think this team is going to surprise some folks this year. Will it make the playoffs? I doubt it. But, I think they've got the potential to be better than what some here set as the standard (4 wins).

Agreed on both accounts.


I think it would be difficult for this team to make the playoffs but with 11 potential draft picks...if one or two of those can solidly contribute plus the FA signings this team has a chance to play at a much higher level than we have seen the past few seasons. This isn't shaping up to be a 2-14 or 4-12 team again. I also have a much higher confidence level in the coaching staff we currently have. I was admittedly not a big fan of Fisch in any capacity, mostly because I think it is better to have an experienced NFL offensive mind at OC when you have a defensive minded head coach. However Fisch has grown on my considerably in the offseason when I look at the big picture and what he had to work with. He seems to have a 'modern' approach to offense...no more of the three yards and a cloud of dust crap we were beaten to death with.

Quote:Vic was a true pro, I miss him here.

Me too. John O and the O-Zone are just not the same. I have read it a handful of times but only once or twice in probably the last year. Even then I just glanced through it. With Vic, I read that daily and looked forward to it. With John O I can't get myself to enjoy it in that way. I'm not saying John is bad necessarily but his humor doesn't humor me often enough and I loved Vic's purist views on football and hearing some of the stories he had. He grew up, and worked professionally for, one of the greatest eras of football we've seen. He had something about his writing that kept me intrigued...I have none of that with John.

---